Mercedes and the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network are working together to establish three new incubators across Ontario, including one in Windsor.
The incubators will focus on startup companies that create products or produce research for future software, artificial intelligence, vehicle components, and electric drivetrains.
Mercedes and OVIN will scout the Windsor incubator, along with two others in Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto for projects ready to move on to the concept stage.
"Open innovation gives us rapid and direct access to the latest ideas and developments around the world," said Markus Schafer, the chief technology officer for development and procurement at Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
The incubators will be part of the global Mercedes-Benz Startup Autobahn network.
The partnership between Mercedes and OVIN follows the automaker's memorandum of understanding with the Government of Canada in 2022. The MOU was about securing critical battery minerals, but Schafer said it was about more than raw materials.
"We want to develop new auto technology here on the battery side," continued Schafer. "The next level battery, new energy density batteries, but other EV components as well."
The automaker has also initiated a research partnership with the University of Waterloo to research neuromorphic computing.
Neuromorphic computing mimics the human brain and could improve artificial intelligent computation. The result would be faster and more energy-efficient computing, capable of detecting traffic signs, lanes, and objects, even in poor visibility.
If the incubators work well, there may be more incubators.